1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an overhead console assembly having an electrical connector arrangement for use in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
2. Background Art
Overhead consoles are commonly provided in the passenger compartment of a vehicle such as an automobile, boat or airplane. Overhead console assemblies are generally elongate structures disposed along the longitudinal axis of a headliner. The headliner includes an upper surface mounted to the interior roof structure of the vehicle and a lower surface having an overlay applied thereon. The overhead console is mounted to the lower surface of the headliner to provide additional storage space for items such as sunglasses, garage door openers and compact discs.
Current overhead console assemblies include a series of accessory compartments for storing items. The accessory compartments are pivotally mounted to the console to allow the passenger to stow and retrieve personal items from the compartment. One significant limitation of current overhead console assemblies is that the accessory compartments cannot be repositioned without a complete rebuild of the console. Fixed accessory compartments restrict repositioning of the compartments based on passenger preference. Another limitation is that stored items must be removed from the accessory compartments to transport the items between the vehicle and another location. It would be advantageous to provide an overhead console assembly for a vehicle having modular accessory compartments easily positionable on the headliner of the vehicle.
Overhead consoles assemblies frequently include electrical components, such as overhead lighting fixtures, vehicle controls for the radio and air conditioning systems, electronic components, such as compasses and temperature displays and video monitors. These electrical components must be preinstalled in the console prior to assembling the console to the headliner. If electrical components malfunction, the entire overhead console must be removed to repair the component. Further, the position of each electrical component cannot be varied to passenger requirements.
It would be advantageous to provide an overhead console assembly having electrical connections to supply power to a variety of modular electrical components. It would be further advantageous to provide an overhead console assembly having a pair of mounting rails disposed within a channel in the headliner to hide the mounting arrangement for removable accessory modules from view in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.